That’s Great Advice
Advice from Pro Athletes for Kids, Written by a Kid
Matthew Pearlman
Copyright © 2012 Matthew Pearlman
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior consent of the publisher.
The Publisher makes no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any commercial damages.
2012-06-18
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all the kids and teens out there who are working hard each day to pursue their dreams.
Acknowledgments
The athletes that I interviewed are very busy. I could not have completed this book without their time, support, open conversation, and kindness. Thank you to everyone who is featured in this book and to everyone else that has assisted in making this dream come true!
Thank you to my parents who have encouraged me to live my dream!
Thank you to my twin sister Samantha who has been there every step of the way!
Thank you to Amy Sterling Casil who helped me to organize my thoughts!
Thank you to Veronika Kucherov for designing the cover and to John Salangsang and the Harlem Globetrotters for the cover photo!
Thank you to Bruce Butterfield for helping guide us through the publishing process!
Thank you to Scott Norton, sports agent, who helped me with several of my first interviews! My dream job is to work with him after college.
Thank you to Tim Ezell (Fox 2 News & Neighborhood Basketball Association) for interviewing me on TV for the first time when I was 11. His advice and humor helped me to realize that I could do it!
Thank you to Grandma Phyllis for helping to edit this book!
Introduction
When I got the idea to interview pro athletes, nobody thought that an 11 year old would be taken seriously. After all, most sports journalists have years of experience covering games and interviewing athletes.
I also knew that anything worth having is worth fighting for. I decided that reaching my goal was so much better when getting there wasn’t easy.
My mom and dad told me that I have been a fighter since I was born. My twin sister Samantha and I were born 9 weeks early and the two of us together only weighed about 6 pounds. We started our lives in the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit of St. John’s Mercy Hospital in St. Louis. We were in an incubator for 6 weeks. My mom said that she knew we were fighters when we arrived home healthy and happy and 3 weeks before our actual due date. I guess we both got ahead of the game as babies.
When I started school, it definitely was not easy for me. Reading and writing were very difficult for me in Kindergarten through third grade. It was very frustrating and I felt like I would never be able to read or write well. With a lot of help, hard work, and determination, it became easier. A big part of my reading success came after I read sports biographies of Jackie Robinson, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, and Michael Jordan. These were very interesting and inspired me to read, research, and write papers about them.
When I decided to be a sports journalist, I worked hard to find out how to reach athletes. I made calls, faxed requests, mailed letters, and e-mailed many people. I was a little discouraged at first and wasn’t sure if I would ever get any real interviews. I decided that I would keep working hard anyway, and I prepared interview notes and practiced mock interviews with my family. I wanted to be as professional as I could. This went on for a couple of months, but no one called back.
In June 2010, I was at home watching a St. Louis Cardinals game. The phone rang and the caller ID said BRETT HULL. He was one of the biggest stars with the St. Louis Blues hockey team and is in the NHL Hall of Fame. Brett Hull was one of the best goal scorers of all time. I almost fell over and couldn’t believe it was really him. It turned out to be a great interview with an amazing player. I realized I had reached my goal.
Brett Hull has another connection to me that my dad told me about after the interview. On the day after I was born, my dad met Brett Hull in the elevator at St. John’s Mercy Hospital. It turns out that Brett Hull’s son was born on the same day in the same hospital as I was. I started to realize we all have more in common than we might think, from sports stars to kids who love sports.
I posted my interview with Brett Hull on my website TeensOnSports.com. I have conducted over 500 more interviews since then.
When I got the idea for this book, I didn’t know if kids would want to read it. The athletes had already given me a lot of advice, so I asked them if they would have read a book like this when they were in school. They all responded very positively. Their responses are located at the end of this book.
Perseverance
Perseverance (noun): The continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure, or opposition.
It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it. -UCLA Coach John Wooden
If I had to select one quality, one personal characteristic that I regard as being most highly correlated with success, whatever the field, I would pick the trait of persistence. The will to endure to the end, to get knocked down seventy times and get up off the floor saying. “Here comes number seventy-one!” -Founder of Amway Corporation Richard M. Devos
When I started interviewing pro athletes, I already knew they had to spend a lot of time practicing to be good at their sport or game. I knew that sometimes they had setbacks and had to keep trying in order to succeed. I also knew that athletes had injuries, and often had to work hard to recover, get strong again, and get back in the game.
Following through, sticking to the job, and finishing what you start are ways people talk about perseverance. After I interviewed the athletes, I learned that perseverance counts on the field and off. Sometimes things happen off the field that can affect your game. Sometimes it’s the other way around. I learned that being an athlete can help other aspects of life too, like getting better grades or getting along with your friends and family.
Here are the athletes and their messages for kids about perseverance:
Cole Hamels (MLB)
Cole Hamels (credit - Dawn Shields)
